2018 - Issue 5

A contract to construct a 13 km tailing pipeline at Nkomati Nickel – awarded towards the end of 2017 – is well underway. TDS Projects Construction was awarded the contract for the pipeline at the Nkomati nickel mine, which is situated 300 km east of Johannesburg.

Integrated Pump Rental recently bolstered its pump rental fleet with the inclusion of a range of stainless steel submersible pumps. MD Lee Vine says this was done to specifically cater for applications where there are increased levels of acidity in the water.

Boosting productivity is always a great challenge to any mine and failure to adapt to changes in technology, which can cause a mine to fall behind its toughest competitors, is often because the cost of the technology is not justified in a mining environment.

Non-profit plastic piping industry body, SAPPMA, is insisting that only top quality pipes manufactured by members who adhere to the association’s Code of Conduct and who meet the stringent quality standards will be allowed to bear the SAPPMA mark.

Babcock is preparing to introduce a new line-up of rigid haulers into the mining and quarrying sector in southern Africa following Volvo Construction Equipment’s announcement that the Swedish equipment manufacturer has launched its own range of Volvo CE-branded rigid haulers.

Most workers in the mining industry use three simple words to describe South Africa’s underground mines: hot, dark and deep. Deep, as in 1 to 3 km deep. These mines are also remote; 500 to 1 000 km away from the nearest major city in some cases.

As the open pit at De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine approaches the end of its life in 2023, the company is determined to stay at the leading edge of safety technology, with the upgrading of its proximity detection systems (PDS) and related safety equipment.

West African gold producer Avesoro Resources has spent the last year stabilising its under-performing New Liberty gold mine in Liberia. Having successfully turned the asset around, the company is now firmly focused on growth.